A passerby alerted sleeping residents that their home was on fire Thursday night in De Pere, according to the De Pere Fire Rescue Department.
Fire crews got the call to the 700 block of Elm Street shortly after 5:20 p.m., according to a news release.
A family of two adults and three children lives in the home, fire crews said.
Fire crews arrived at the scene to find everyone out of the home, and firefighters put out the fire. No one was hurt.
The situation could have been worse had it not been for the person who stopped to alert the family, fire crews said.
The cause of the fire was “careless use of smoking materials,” the news release said.
“Before you throw away butts and ashes, make sure they are out, and dousing in water or sand is the best way to do that,” said the Department’s news release.
